Episodes

  • US Open at Shinnecock Hills requires all hands on deck

    US Open at Shinnecock Hills requires all hands on deck
    Jun 18 2026

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    ***

    Atlantic Golf Club, Noyac Golf Club and Sebonack Golf Club are all less than 10 miles away from Shinnecock Hills Golf Club.

    But at this time of year, they might as well be on another planet.

    Cailin Riley reports on 27east.com that the superintendents who oversee those courses never see each other from late spring to early fall. Their heads remain down, for months on end, from sunrise to sunset, making sure conditions are perfect for the members.

    But every decade or so, an international sporting event brings them together.

    At this year’s 126th U.S. Open Golf Championship…which teed off at 6:30 this morning…Shinnecock Hills superintendent Jon Jennings has a huge team of volunteers helping him and his regular team ensure the golf course is set up and in perfect condition to provide a worthy test for the world’s best players, as the course steps into the global spotlight, hosting the Open for the sixth time.

    The course benefits from its unique position in what is widely regarded as one of the top golf meccas in the world. While Shinnecock is the star, lauded courses like National Golf Links of America, Southampton Golf Club and Sebonack Golf Club are a chip shot away, while other highly regarded courses like Noyac, The Bridge and Atlantic are in close vicinity as well.

    During the week, superintendents from those courses are volunteering their time, expertise and several of their own staff members to the huge undertaking of course preparation and maintenance at Shinnecock Hills for the sport’s national championship, while still ensuring their own clubs, just as busy as ever at this time of year, are running smoothly.

    Jennings tells 27east.com that having so many superintendents from so many highly regarded golf courses willing to contribute and in such close proximity during a major championship is special.

    “The density of good golf courses in this area is rare…And the ability to be able to draw from that talent is also rare…It’s really helping out a lot.”

    Jennings indicates he’s deeply appreciative of our east end golf community’s spirit of teamwork.

    “The importance of local support is really, really key to the success of the championship,” he said…I may be biased, but the best golf in the world is here on Long Island.”

    ***

    Cutchogue Civic Association will hold a panel discussion on the current housing situation, “What Does It Take to Live on the North Fork?” Perspectives on our Housing Crisis,” this evening at 5 p.m. at the Cutchogue-New Suffolk Library.

    Attendees will hear about the history of housing in the community, the current real estate data, and the burden the housing shortage causes for essential workers and business owners.

    “There is no easy fix, but there are programs that are underway that might lessen the impact on future lives in Cutchogue,” according to the civic association.

    Panelists include Community Housing Advocate Katy Stokes, The Giving Room owner Paula DiDonato, True North Associates’ Michael Daly, and Beth Young, editor of the East End Beacon.

    That’s “What Does It Take to Live on the North Fork?” later today at 5 p.m. in the Cutchogue-New Suffolk Library.

    Also related to the North Fork housing crisis, Beth Young reports in EAST END BEACON that the Town of Southold is considering using a portion of its Community Housing Fund revenue for a new first-time homebuyer down payment assistance loan program that could provide 18 percent of the cost to purchase a home on northeastern Long Island — up to $135,000.

    Southold Town Community Development Project Supervisor Andrea Sullivan gave an overview of the proposal to the Southold Town Board at its work session this week, as she and members of the town’s Planning Department gave an overview of their work addressing community housing as a new top priority in the town’s Zoning Update.

    Ms. Sullivan said she is working with town planners on adding a new chapter to the code, Chapter 112, devoted exclusively to the administration of community housing. She said that chapter will likely be brought to a Town Board code committee in August.

    Councilwoman Alexa Suess said Tuesday, “The idea is looking at these solutions in parallel. These code changes are going to take a little while,” she said. “We’re trying to come at it from multiple angles at once.”
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    5 mins
  • Car crash on County Rd 39 leaves two injured and gridlock through most of Western Southampton

    Car crash on County Rd 39 leaves two injured and gridlock through most of Western Southampton
    Jun 17 2026
    Despite the loss of federal funding, WLIW-FM continues to bring you pertinent local and regional news each and every day. Make a donation or becoming a sustaining member today by clicking here or call 800-262-0717.***A motor vehicle crash on County Road 39 that left two people injured, one very seriously, caused gridlock traffic through most of western Southampton and Southampton Village late yesterday.Michael Wright reports on 27east.comthat traffic along the Montauk Highway and County Road 39 corridor had been flowing well on Tuesday afternoon thanks to police officers posted at traffic lights to allow commuter traffic to bypass the usual red-green cycle, until the crash occurred shortly before 5 p.m.According to Southampton Town officials, the single-vehicle crash occurred just to the west of Shrubland Road. Passersby reported that the vehicle was heavily damaged. One of the two people in the vehicle was trapped inside and had to be cut out by Southampton Fire Department heavy rescue crews with the “Jaws of Life.”The more badly injured person was then taken to Southampton Village where a Suffolk County Police Department medevac helicopter was waiting to fly the person to Stony Brook University Hospital at about 6 p.m. The other victim of the crash was taken to the hospital by an ambulance to be treated for non life-threatening injuries.County Road 39 remained closed more than another hour while the accident scene was cleaned up. As of 7:30 p.m., the road was open again but westbound traffic from Water Mill to Shinnecock Hills crawled until nearly 10 o'clock last night.***Walmart expects to finish enlarging its Riverhead store into a supercenter, with an added grocery store, by next spring, according to plans submitted to the town.Tory N. Parrish reports in NEWSDAY that the Riverhead store is one of three existing Long Island stores, including those in Islandia and East Meadow, for which Walmart has submitted plans to municipalities since early 2025 to enlarge the locations into supercenters.With the planned Long Island expansion projects, the Bentonville, Arkansas-based retailer is aiming to grab a larger slice of grocery spending across Nassau and Suffolk. Walmart is the largest grocer nationwide by far, but on Long Island, Stop & Shop ranks first.“With the potential to expand our existing Islandia and Riverhead stores into supercenters, we are excited about the opportunity to bring expanded grocery offerings, services, and new career opportunities to the community,” Walmart spokeswoman Mariel Messier told NEWSDAY this week.Walmart Inc. has 14 stores on Long Island, including a Sam’s Club warehouse store in Medford; a Neighborhood Market, which is a grocery store, in Levittown; and three supercenters.For Walmart to move forward with its Riverhead project, the retailer must receive site plan approval from the town’s planning board, along with approvals from the Suffolk County Department of Public Works, Suffolk County Department of Health Services and two town agencies, Greg Bergman, senior planner for the Town of Riverhead, told NEWSDAY.Walmart’s Riverhead store, at 1890 Old Country Rd. in Gateway Plaza, opened in 2014. The store was a relocation of a smaller store that opened in 2001 on Old Country Road.***More than 500,000 eligible Long Islanders will receive $659.2 million in tax relief beginning this summer through New York’s School Tax Relief (STAR) program.Maureen Mullarkey reports in NEWSDAY that Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Monday that 572,000 Long Island homeowners out of the nearly 3 million eligible New Yorkers can expect to receive a STAR credit or STAR exemption on their school tax bill.The Long Island figures are down slightly from last year's, when the state said 582,000 Long Island homeowners received $698.4 million.Meanwhile, with the 126th U.S. Open Golf Championship at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club bringing mass media attention to the south fork and their frequent mention of the enormous wealth that surrounds us you can be sure the Golf Channel and N.B.C. will slip in this next story…if they haven’t already.For Rachel Weiss reports in NEWSDAY that an oceanfront estate in Sagaponack has hit the market for $152.5 million, making it the most expensive public listing on Long Island. The taxes are about $105,000.A sale at this price would beat a record set last year, when an Amagansett property closed for $115 million, the highest amount ever paid for a single parcel in “The Hamptons.” It was also the priciest closing of 2025 by a landslide, with a $66.75 million home sale in East Hampton coming in second.The Sagaponack property features seven bedrooms and 10 bathrooms, spanning 9,500 square feet of living space. There is an additional 2,000 square feet of covered porches.The home was built in 2017 and completely renovated last year according to listing agent Terry Cohen, of Compass. The estate, on Fairfield Pond Lane, encompasses 4 acres and more than 360 feet of ...
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    6 mins
  • Today is Triple Match Tuesday! Your donation is worth 3x as much today only!

    Today is Triple Match Tuesday! Your donation is worth 3x as much today only!
    Jun 16 2026
    Thanks to our Board of Trustees, every donation made today, June 16, is tripled. If you were on the fence about making a contribution to Long Island's very own public radio station, today is the day to go for it. Click here to make a simple, quick, and secure donation online or call 800-262-0717 - and leave us a comment after the call!***Nearly a year after its previous contract expired, the Bridgehampton Teachers Association finally inked a new agreement with the Bridgehampton School District this week.Cailin Riley reports on 27east.com that Joseph Pluta and Caitlin Hansen, co-presidents of the teachers association issued a statement;“It was a long journey, but we are very satisfied with the outcome…We also acknowledge that we could not have achieved this without the overwhelming support from the community. Their kind words and support have meant everything to us and serve as a reminder of how special the Bridgehampton community is…We also recognize how Dr. Brigid Collins was able to truly change the tone of the negotiations and played a key role in completing them.”The five-year contract is retroactive to July 1 of 2025, and runs through June 30, 2030.Highlights of the new agreement include the creation of a “Management Labor Committee” for the purpose of “promoting effective communication and addressing matters of mutual concern.”The committee will meet at least four times per year and will include representatives appointed by the district and by the BTA.Changes to child-rearing leave enable teachers to use their sick time to continue paid leave past the 12-week Family and Medical Leave Act allowance, and contractually agreed upon evening parent-teacher conferences “will be a great opportunity for working parents that are not able to make it during the day,” stated union heads.Three percent salary increases are built in for the 2025-26 and 2026-27 school years, with 2.5 percent increases for the three remaining years on the contract. Retroactive pay will be provided for the 2025-26 school year as well.For the 2025-2026 school year, teachers and nurses will pay 19 percent and teaching assistants will pay 16 percent of the individual or family health plan premiums, with a 0.25 percent increase in that number built in for each consecutive school year over the length of the agreement.Effective July 1, and for the remainder of the life of the contract, the district will contribute $40,000 per year to a dental insurance plan and $9,000 per year to an optical insurance plan, both to be selected by the BTA membership.The contract also includes a retirement incentive for all teachers who submit to the superintendent of schools no later than March 1 of their first year of eligibility to retire an irrevocable letter of resignation for purposes of retirement, effective the following June 30. In exchange, they will receive a one-time payment of $20,000 and a payment at a rate of 50 percent of their regular daily rate for their unused accumulated sick days.***For the first time in the history of the U.S. Open Golf Championship being held at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, the Shinnecock Indian Nation incorporated a formal land acknowledgement as part of the opening events at the 126th U.S. Open, which teed off yesterday with practice rounds for many of the 156 players who will compete for the trophy starting this coming Thursday.Cailin Riley reports on 27east.com that the land acknowledgment was historic, as it was the first time it has happened in the history of the U.S. Open, which began in 1895 and was hosted at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in 1896 for the first of what is now six times.The land acknowledgement is a way to formally recognize that this international major sporting event is being staged on the ancestral, traditional and unceded homelands of the Shinnecock people, who have stewarded the land and waters of what is now known as eastern Long Island since humans arrived here some 10,000 years ago.Shinnecock Hills Golf Club President Brett Pickett spoke at a special gathering on Monday, recognizing the historic moment and its significance. “As we gather to celebrate excellence in sport, we recognize the enduring presence, resilience and sovereignty of the Shinnecock Indian Nation and honor their continued contributions to the stewardship of the land, waters and natural resources of this region,” he said. “We pay our respect to Shinnecock elders past and present and extend that respect to future generations who will carry forward their traditions, knowledge and responsibilities to the land.”A welcome address was delivered by the nation’s Sunksqua Linda Franklin and Sachem Daniel Collins Sr., offering words of reflection, gratitude and recognition of the enduring relationship between the Shinnecock people and their ancestral homeland.“As you participate in this championship, I invite you to take a moment to recognize the history and spirit of this place,” Sunksqua Franklin ...
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    7 mins
  • Democratic Primary early voting in NY now underway

    Democratic Primary early voting in NY now underway
    Jun 15 2026
    Despite the loss of federal funding, WLIW-FM continues to bring you pertinent local and regional news each and every day. Make a donation or becoming a sustaining member today by clicking here or call 800-262-0717.***The U.S. Open Golf Tournament Championship Trophy made its debut on the temporary Shinnecock Hills train station platform on Friday, with LIRR President Robert Free hoisting the 131-year-old trophy.The ceremonial stop spotlighted what officials say is the highly recommended transportation option for the upcoming tournament week which starts today with practice rounds Monday through Wednesday. Then the championship play Thursday through Sunday.Angelina Livigni reports in NEWSDAY that the last time the U.S. Open Golf Tournament took place in New York was in 2020 at the Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck. The U.S. Open Trophy was last presented at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton in 2018. “This is what every golf professional, every player on tour, this is what they want to win,” Eric Steimer, senior director of the U.S. Open Championships for the United States Golf Association, said during a news conference while holding the trophy. “Frankly, as we picked Shinnecock Hills as our golf club, one of the true cathedrals of the game, this is where they want to win.”On days of the tournament, fans have the option to take the Long Island Rail Road, rideshare or drive. Personal parking spaces will not be an option at the course, but fans can pay to park at the Shinnecock reservation and take a shuttle provided by USGA over to the tournament. The USGA on its website calls the LIRR “the most sustainable, affordable and convenient transportation option.”“We have experience working with the LIRR to help bring this to life,” Steimer said during a news conference. “The infrastructure in place is a massive undertaking. This is two-plus years of planning culminating right now.”Getting to Shinnecock is an approximately three- to four-hour train ride from Penn Station, requiring multiple transfers. The Shinnecock station is not open year-round, with the station operating exclusively as a stop on the Montauk Branch for U.S. Open Golf Championships at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club. Hampton Jitney is operating dedicated luxury motorcoach shuttles for the 2026 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hillsfrom Wednesday, June 17, through Sunday, June 21.Service runs directly between points east...Montauk through Southampton...dropping off and departing at Admission Gate 2 at the Stony Brook Southampton campus.***Reducing the cost of bringing prefabricated homes to Long Island and elsewhere in the state.Expanding telehealth calls for residents of assisted living communities.Ending the requirement that businesses who employ female restaurant workers get state permission allowing them to work after midnight.James T. Madore reports in NEWSDAY that those are among the first 50 regulations that New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has struck down as part of a new initiative to reduce red tape and bureaucracy for businesses and individuals that must interact with state government."We're making it easier to build housing and infrastructure, access healthcare and cut down on burdensome fees and paperwork — delivering a more efficient government for every New Yorker," Hochul said in announcing the changes today under her EXPRESS NY initiative.Launched in February, the initiative comes as Hochul, a Democrat, seeks re-election in November to a second full term and faces criticism from Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman.Government bureaucracy and red tape are a key challenge for small businesses. Ten percent said regulations were the single most important problem they face, based on a nationwide survey released last Friday by the advocacy group National Federation of Independent Business.Hochul, who helped her late mother run a flower shop outside of Buffalo in the early 1990s, said the regulatory rollbacks announced today are the first in a series and would reduce state fees and compliance costs by "tens of millions of dollars" for more than 1.5 million people.The changes announced today were recommended by 22 state agencies. Additional rollbacks will come from nearly 4,000 recommendations made by the public between February and April, according to Hochul."Every New Yorker can agree that bureaucratic obstacles stand in the way, wasting time and money," she said in a statement.***Early voting in the Democratic Party primary is underway in New York.Denise Civiletti reports on Riverheadlocal.com that on the east end, two candidates are competing for the Democratic party’s nomination in New York’s First Congressional District: Lukas Ventouras and Christopher Gallant. The winner of the primary contest will challenge incumbent Rep. Nick LaLota (R-Amityville) in the November general election.Gallant, 37, is a National Guardsman, Black Hawk helicopter pilot, former FAA air traffic controller and volunteer ...
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    6 mins
  • Gas prices on Long Island climb 46.8%; US Open to return to Shinnecock Hills Golf Club

    Gas prices on Long Island climb 46.8%; US Open to return to Shinnecock Hills Golf Club
    Jun 11 2026
    Gasoline prices on Long Island and in the metropolitan area climbed 46.8% last month overall compared with a year ago, the third double-digit increase since March and the highest so far. James T. Madore reports in NEWSDAY that skyrocketing pump prices led to higher inflation overall in both the New York area and nationwide in May with the consumer price index rising at its quickest pace in three years. The index was released yesterday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The ongoing war in Iran, which has disrupted oil production and transportation for more than 100 days, is behind the high cost of gasoline, experts said. In the New York area, gasoline prices rose in May at their fastest rate in nearly four years.However, they've moderated this month. The average price of a gallon of unleaded in our region was $4.25 yesterday, down from $4.41 on June 1, according to AAA. The price of gasoline on the south fork east of Southampton Village is currently closer to 4.50 or more per gallon.Economists predicted pump prices would remain elevated as long as the Iran war rages — and consumers burdened by the higher cost of living would continue to alter their shopping habits as a result.Gasoline was a driving force in the price index for the 25-county region that includes Long Island rising 5.1% last month compared with May 2025. That rate of growth is the fastest since February 2023.“Over 5% starts to get people concerned because [increases in the index] should really be in the 2% to 3% range,” said Steven Kent, chief economist for the Long Island Association business group. “Getting to over 5% is difficult for people.”Pump prices were up 40.5% nationwide year over year, or 6.3 percentage points lower than locally.***A Suffolk County judge yesterday issued an order in related lawsuits over U.S. Open Golf parking at Enterprise Park at Calverton (EPCAL).The order bars tournament-related vehicles from parking on 400 David Court LLC’s property.Shuttle buses may pass through the easement area, and concrete blocks obstructing bus movement may be moved.The court said the order does not decide whether the planned use is permitted under the easement.Denise Civiletti reports on Riverheadlocal.com that a Calverton property owner has sued the Town of Riverhead, the Riverhead Community Development Agency and the United States Golf Association over use of part of its property for U.S. Open parking and shuttle operations at EPCAL, but a court order issued Wednesday appears to preserve the town’s planned parking operation while barring vehicles from parking on the company’s property.Riverhead Town Attorney Erik Howard told Riverheadlocal last night that the parties appeared in Suffolk County Supreme Court and conferenced the matter. “At this time, there appears to be agreement resolving the immediate disputes relative to the parking of vehicles at the Town’s Calverton property,” Howard said. “I do not anticipate that parking for the US Open at Calverton Enterprise Park will be negatively impacted.”The court order expressly states that it does not resolve whether the use of the easement contemplated by the license agreement, or by the order itself, is a permitted use under the easement. The underlying lawsuits remain pending.The USGA’s proposal, attached to the town’s license agreement, estimated peak parking demand at about 3,750 vehicles on Friday and Saturday of championship week, with about 8,625 people using the Calverton parking and shuttle operation on those peak days. USGA officials said they expected to use about 130 to 145 coach buses on peak days to move spectators between Calverton and Shinnecock Hills.***In just 4 days the U.S. Open returns to Shinnecock Hills Golf Club for its 126th playing, and the fifth time it has been held in Southampton.As reported on 27east.com, the annual tournament is the United States Golf Association’s premier showcase, of the 14 national championships it puts on, and its largest production by far. Each year’s championship takes four years to prepare for and organize. With more than 100,000 spectators, volunteers, vendors and media passing through the gates, the logistics require creating, and then dismantling, a small city in just a matter of months — at a cost of more than $80 million. Tournament week begins this coming Monday with championship play Thursday, June 18 through Sunday, June 21st.Opens at Shinnecock Hills are always in the national spotlight. Indeed, it is an international sporting event right here in our own hometown...for better or worse.***When James Abdul-Lateef Poulos started to study Islam in the mid-1980s, he had a hard time finding a mosque on Long Island, he said. There were only four.Today, there are 40, underscoring the steady growth of the Muslim community in Nassau and Suffolk, he said. Now, several new ones are going up, including two that will be the largest on Long Island.Bart Jones reports in NEWSDAY that ...
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    10 mins
  • New bill to require healthcare providers to report instances of alpha-gal syndrome; Law suit unfolds over land for parking at Shinnecock Hills; and more East End news

    New bill to require healthcare providers to report instances of alpha-gal syndrome; Law suit unfolds over land for parking at Shinnecock Hills; and more East End news
    Jun 10 2026
    A string of recent service meltdowns at Penn Station raises new questions about whether the Manhattan transit hub is up to handling massive crowds heading to the NBA Finals and World Cup, transportation advocates say.Alfonso A. Castillo reports in NEWSDAY that three major incidents in and around Penn Station in recent weeks — including two rail tunnel fires — snarled Long Island Rail Road service over several rush hours, all while the station operates at reduced capacity because of a repair project keeping one of the four East River tunnels out of service.Officials with Amtrak, which owns and maintains Penn Station and the adjoining tunnels, have said the incidents were anomalies and not evidence of larger infrastructure issues at the station — the busiest rail terminal in the Western Hemisphere.But transit advocates say the recent failures were made worse by Amtrak's approach to tunnel repairs and capacity restrictions at a station built to handle about 100,000 riders daily, and now moving about six times as many each day.Offering some hope for a smoother customer experience in the future at the 115-year-old station, Amtrak earlier this week released new details of an $8 billion project, spearheaded by the Trump administration, to redevelop Penn Station.Although the effort will not expand track capacity, project leader Andy Byford said some of the upgrades will streamline train service. The planned demolition of the Infosys Theater at Madison Square Garden, on top of Penn, will allow for the removal of several structural columns at track level that will give riders more breathing room on platforms."We’re not just going to limit ourselves to what looks nice at street level and on the concourse," Byford said. "We’re also going to totally modernize the platform area and fire, life safety issues and make sure that things like the switches ... are modernized." Samuel Turvey, chairman of Rethink Penn Station NYC, a group pushing for upgrades at Penn, said, even with a limited ability to expand the station’s capacity, any redevelopment effort should look to widen narrow platforms — making it easier for customers to get on and off trains, even with the kind of demand during the NBA Finals and World Cup.***Last week, a bill sponsored by New York State Assemblyman Tommy John Schiavoni that would require healthcare providers to report instances of alpha-gal syndrome in Suffolk County unanimously passed in the state Assembly.Hope Hamilton reports on 27east.com that according to the NYS Department of Health, illnesses that are classified as reportable diseases must be reported to the department by healthcare workers and the data must be made available to the general public through the DOH’s annual Communicable Disease reports. Other tick-related illnesses such as anaplasmosis, babesiosis, Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever are reportable diseases. Alpha-gal syndrome, however, is not.Schiavoni’s legislation would place alpha-gal syndrome on this list.Alpha-gal syndrome — an allergy to foods containing the alpha-gal sugar molecule, most commonly mammalian meat products such as beef, lamb and pork, and in severe cases dairy products — can be caused by a lone star tick bite. Because the human body does not produce alpha-gal, the saliva of a lone star tick that contains alpha-gal can trigger this allergy. It’s important to note, however, that not everyone who gets bitten by a lone star tick develops alpha-gal syndrome, according to the DOH.“I made this legislation because of the growing prevalence of alpha-gal syndrome on Eastern Long Island,” Schiavoni told THE SAG HARBOR EXPRESS. “Of the reported instances on the federal websites, Suffolk County is leading the country in cases of alpha-gal syndrome.”A spokesperson from the Suffolk County Department of Health Services said in a statement this week: “Although specifics on tick density are difficult to establish, the Suffolk County Department of Health Services is continuing to see a tick population on the East End and throughout Suffolk County. The species of ticks the department is seeing includes blacklegged ticks, lone star ticks, American dog ticks and Asian longhorned ticks. Residents are reminded of the importance of tick education and prevention of tick bites.”***For the first time in seven years, a band has pulled off a three-peat at the 2026 Battle of the Bands.Dan Stark reports on 27east.com that five teen bands treated fans to a memorable night of music and showmanship at Ponquogue Beach in Hampton Bays on Friday night. Daydream won its third consecutive battle in the Southampton Town-sponsored competition for teen musicians. Daydream is the first band to accomplish the feat since Road Trip from 2017 through 2019.A four-piece rock band, Daydream’s five-song set showcased a band operating as a well-oiled machine, with quick transitions between songs and selections that got the crowd pumped.After the winning ...
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    10 mins
  • Suffolk County apprehends 18 shoplifters; toxic plume in East Hampton leads to questions regarding battery energy storage facility; and more East End news

    Suffolk County apprehends 18 shoplifters; toxic plume in East Hampton leads to questions regarding battery energy storage facility; and more East End news
    Jun 9 2026
    The U.S. Department of Homeland Security plans to flood New York City with more ICE agents since Gov. Kathy Hochul has signed legislation that will stymie the department’s efforts, the White House border czar said yesterday.Hochul told Newsday that the move would be "wildly disruptive" to the nation's economic capital and that "Americans have had enough with the overreach of ICE."On Long Island, immigration advocates said they feared a stepped-up U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement campaign in the city could spill over to Nassau and Suffolk counties, and they expect any surge to be met with resistance.Speaking on Fox News, Tom Homan said he will fulfill a “promise" he made to Hochul that if the legislation passed, he would send more agents to the city. “I made her a promise," Homan said on “Fox and Friends." “You’re gonna see more ICE agents [than] you’ve ever seen in New York City. And it's coming." “I just reviewed an operational plan," he added. “I'm not gonna tell you exactly when it's gonna happen, but it's coming. I'm keeping my promise. We're gonna send more ICE agents to New York because you took away the efficiencies of safe arrests in county jails."He has previously said he will “flood the zone" in New York City.Bart Jones reports in NEWSDAY that Hochul in late May signed legislation that bars ICE agents from wearing masks and keeps immigration agents out of sensitive locations such as churches and schools unless they have a warrant.The legislation also bars local governments from entering into 287(g) agreements that allow them to deputize local police as ICE agents and allows ICE to use local jails to hold detained migrants.On Monday, Hochul said President Donald Trump had promised her he will not send a surge of ICE agents into areas unless local officials ask for it."I'm not asking now - that'll never happen, because they saw what happened to Minneapolis...I would think that the president, the former New Yorker, would understand, we want to all keep the city safe. It is the economic engine of the country, so that'll be wildly disruptive" if he sends a surge of ICE agents, Hochul said.Minerva Perez, executive director of Organización Latino Americana {OLA} an East End immigration advocacy group, said yesterday she fears an uptick in ICE agents in New York City will spread to Long Island.“We already know there are outposts on Long Island. We already know that there are processing centers on Long Island," Perez said, adding that any surge in agents is likely "going to spill over to Long Island."Hochul said New York will help arrest real criminals but not immigrants without criminal records. "New York State is not a sanctuary state for criminals," she said. "In New York, our local police need to be focused on local crimes and not filling up our jails with people who ICE has taken off our streets, out of our schools, out of our pizzerias, out of our homes, and I'm not going to be part of that," she said. "We're not going to be helping with civil immigration enforcement."***The Riverhead Town Board will hold a special meeting tomorrow evening for a public hearing on the proposed Peconic River Hotel, a five-story, 94-room hotel planned for East Main Street in Riverhead as part of the downtown town square project.Denise Civiletti reports on Riverheadlocal.com that the hearing, scheduled for Wednesday June 10 at 6 p.m. in Town Hall, concerns the site plan and special permit applications filed by J. Petrocelli Riverhead Town Square LLC, the town’s designated master developer for the town square project. The meeting was called solely for the hearing.The purpose of the hearing is to allow the Riverhead Town Board to review the hotel site plan and special permit application, hear from the applicant, receive comments from town staff and outside agencies, and take public comment before deciding whether to approve, deny or modify the applications.The hotel is proposed for 117-127 E. Main St., on the south side of Main Street in Riverhead next to the planned town square and the East End Arts campus. The property is in the Downtown Center 1: Main Street zoning district, where hotels are allowed by special permit from the Riverhead Town Board.***The Suffolk County Police Department will hold a vehicle auction this coming Saturday, June 13, at its impound facility in Westhampton.The auction, hosted by the department’s Impound Section, will begin at 9 a.m. at 100 Old Country Road.Denise Civiletti reports on Riverheadlocal.com that approximately 90 lots will be auctioned, including sedans and SUVs, according to police. All vehicles will have a minimum bid of $500 and will be sold as-is.Vehicles may be previewed Thursday, June 11, and Friday, June 12, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the impound yard in Westhampton. Vehicles will also be available for preview for one hour before the auction begins Saturday.Vehicle documents for the auction can also be viewed at the Suffolk County Police ...
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    10 mins
  • Suffolk County Water Authority suing East Hampton BESS operator

    Suffolk County Water Authority suing East Hampton BESS operator
    Jun 8 2026
    The NYS Department of Transportation will begin $146 million in bridge and road repairs across Long Island this summer, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced yesterday, promising that upgrades would not affect peak summer beach travel.“Investing in Long Island’s bridges and highways means investing in safety, economic opportunity and improving the stability of vital roadways while building a dependable transportation system that Long Islanders need,” Hochul said in a statement.Janon Fishe reports in NEWSDAY that punishing commercial truck traffic makes up a tenth of the 190,000 vehicles that use the Long Island Expressway, tearing up the roadway, transportation officials said.That is why most of the $146 million highway fund will go toward repaving 193 lane miles of the Long Island Expressway and 140 lane miles of Sunrise Highway, the governor said.The governor promised that traffic disruption due to construction will not happen during rush hours and it will be coordinated with other traffic projects going on at the same time.Suffolk County will get $3.6 million to seal pavement cracks and work on the wooden noise barriers will continue, according to the governor.Heckscher State Parkway in Suffolk County has already started a $15 million project to repair concrete pavement in the Town of Islip. The governor said it would be finished by the end of next year.State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Commissioner Kathy Moser said in a statement that Hecksher State Park is "one of Long Island’s most treasured outdoor destinations, welcoming more than 1.3 million visitors each year," adding that the construction will "provide better access for the many visitors who enjoy this iconic state park.”***The Suffolk County Water Authority filed a federal lawsuit against the operator of an East Hampton Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) operator late last week after the discovery of high levels of perfluorinated compounds in nearby public drinking water wells following a 2023 fire at the BESS facility.East Hampton Town is now calling for a task force to protect the community’s drinking water.Beth Young reports in EAST END BEACON that two of the Water Authority’s affected wells, which are south of the BESS facility, exceeded New York State’s maximum contaminant level for PFAS, and SCWA has taken the affected wells out of service as a result of the detections, according to the Town of East Hampton, which released a statement about the incident this past Friday.The 5 MW BESS system, called the East Hampton Energy Storage Center, is at an electric substation on Cove Hollow Road. It is a joint venture of NextEra Energy Resources and National Grid that came online in 2018. In addition to the operators of the Energy Storage Center, the Water Authority’s lawsuit also names battery manufacturers LG Chem and LG Energy Solutions as defendants.A fire broke out at the BESS system on May 31 of 2023. Officials said at the time it was contained as designed, with a built in fire suppression system.The lawsuit, filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, alleges that the casings of the batteries “opened and released their contents” during the fire, and water from the fire suppression efforts ran off the property and into an undeveloped area to the south of the property. The wells are about 2,500 feet south of the BESS facility.On Friday, June 5, East Hampton Town Supervisor Kathee Burke-Gonzalez issued a statement calling on New York State, Suffolk County, and Suffolk County Water Authority leaders “to form a coordinated joint task force to protect the community’s drinking water and groundwater.”In a letter to New York Governor Kathy Hochul, Suffolk County Executive Edward P. Romaine, and the Suffolk County Water Authority, Ms. Burke-Gonzalez “asked the offices to establish a joint task force to ensure that residents’ drinking water and the underlying groundwater are protected, including testing nearby private wells and pooling state and county resources so that the burden does not fall on ratepayers or individual homeowners.”***The Riverhead Town Board is slated to hold a public hearing on the proposed site plan for the new five-story hotel adjacent to the town’s Town Square project at a special meeting this coming Wednesday, June 10 at 6 p.m.Beth Young reports in EAST END BEACON that the five-story “Peconic Hotel,” slated to be a part of the Hilton Tapestry Collection is currently proposed as a five-story, 69,738-square-foot building containing a 94-room hotel, retail spaces, a restaurant, café and nine parking stalls on the lowest level, according to the public hearing notice.The project is being proposed by J. Petrocelli Contracting, named last year the Town of Riverhead’s Master Developer of the Town Square project.The hotel will be on property transferred last year from the town to J. Petrocelli as part of the Town Square deal. It was initially ...
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